None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Spectrum, a state-wide service for treating patients with severe borderline personality disorder, has been running body-orientated group therapies since 2006. In 2009 Spectrum partnered with the Women’s Circus in Footscray to develop an outpatients Body-Mind group therapy program. Clinical observations of patients who attended this group suggest a reduction in symptoms and an increase in involvement with their bodies, sensation, feelings and emotions. This is important as patients with borderline personality disorder often dissociate and avoid difficult emotions and sensations. We aim to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of this treatment in a small pilot research study. Patients with borderline personality disorder will be recruited from Area Mental Health Services to participate in a 10 week Body-Mind Group. These patients will continue to receive treatment as usual from their local mental health case manager while attending this group. During this group therapy, qualitative and quantitative data will be collected regarding symptom severity and group participation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment.
Interventions
Body-Mind Group Therapy (BMGT) is a body-oriented small group therapy conducted by two expereinced clinicians (one psychologist, one psychiatric nurse) as well as one experienced circus trainer. A maximum of eight clients meet for 120 min, once per week for ten weeks.
The aim is to increase body awareness through body centered movements and experiecnes in an interpersonal situation. The body movements included basic circus skills such as acrobalance, juggling, ball games and aerials.
Sponsors
Kate Cooke
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
16 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
a. five or more criteria of BPD as outline by the DSM IV Criteria include 1. frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5. 2. a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation. 3. identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self. 4. impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5. 5. recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior 6. affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days). 7. chronic feelings of emptiness 8. inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights) 9. transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms b. a registered client of a Victorian Area Mental Health Service c. has a case manager who can arrange an inpatient admission if required d. has a support person who can see them two weekly whilst they are in treatment e. stated willingness to attend for ten weeks
Exclusion criteria
1. current positive or negative psychotic symptoms 2. likely to interfere with the participation of others i.e., violent or threatening 3. intellectual disability or cognitive impairment significant enough to interfere with participation 4. physical disability or injury significant enought to interfere with participation
Outcome results
None listed